Red Star, Winter Orbit
Encyclopedia
"Red Star, Winter Orbit" is a short story written by William Gibson
and Bruce Sterling
in the 1980s. It was first published in Omni
in July 1983, and later collected in Burning Chrome, a 1986 anthology of Gibson's early short fiction, and in Sterling's 1986 cyberpunk
anthology
Mirrorshades. The story is set in an alternate future
where the Soviet Union
controls most of the Earth's resources, especially oil. As a result of this the United States
is no longer a dominant economic power on earth and the Soviets have won the space race
.
Science fiction critic Takayuki Tatsumi
regards the story as a descriptive account of "the failure of the dream of space exploration", reminiscent of Ballard
's "inner space
/outer space" motif. Gibson scholar Tatiani Rapatzikou commented that the motif of the space station
was used by the authors as a "symbol of the tension and uneasiness the characters or readers experience every time they deal with the artificiality of their technological world".
s for shooting down ICBMs. The civilian side, once a hub for space exploration, is now reduced to a maintenance role for the engineers running the station. Most of the story takes place in one of the Salyuts that has been set aside as the "Museum of the Soviet Triumph in Space". Its caretaker is cosmonaut Colonel Yuri Vasilevich Korolev, the first man on Mars.
As the story opens, the military role is no longer required now that the United States has lost superpower status and the threat of ICBMs is gone. The government decides to stop manning the station, but this would involve a loss of face as they would be abandoning their last manned space presence. At first they plan on blaming the station's shutdown on the civilian crew's black market activities, the minor trafficking in American media. When he hears of the shutdown, Korolev organizes a strike, demanding the charges be dropped. He is ignored, and the station rapidly deteriorates.
On the ground, a purge starts within the space establishment that removes most of the "old guard". The remaining administrators decide to put the station in a decaying orbit
, and blame its demise on Korolev, the strike's leader. After 20 years in space, Korolev can no longer return to Earth and will make a convenient scapegoat.
Korolev instead hatches a plan to use the remaining Soyuz
capsules to allow the crew to defect to Japan
after landing in China
. His attempts to interfere with the military side of the station fail and they prepare to fire on the defectors. One of the capsules returns and deliberately crashes into the weapon. The military crew is killed when their portion of the station is ripped open, and Korolev is locked in the civilian side when the doors automatically close. He is left alone in a decaying orbit.
Some time later, Korolev awakens to find one of the hatches being knocked on from the outside. Thinking he is dreaming, he comes to his senses when the hatch is opened and several Americans enter the station. Hearing it had been abandoned, they have decided to leave their squat
on a solar-power balloon and take over the station to form a new colony. The story ends with Korolev being asked to give a tour of the station for its new inhabitants.
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
and Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
in the 1980s. It was first published in Omni
Omni (magazine)
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction...
in July 1983, and later collected in Burning Chrome, a 1986 anthology of Gibson's early short fiction, and in Sterling's 1986 cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Mirrorshades. The story is set in an alternate future
Alternate future
In science fiction stories involving time travel, an alternative future or alternate future is a possible future which never comes to pass, typically because someone travels back into the past and alters it so that the events of the alternative future cannot occur.An alternative future differs from...
where the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
controls most of the Earth's resources, especially oil. As a result of this the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is no longer a dominant economic power on earth and the Soviets have won the space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
.
Science fiction critic Takayuki Tatsumi
Takayuki Tatsumi
Takayuki Tatsumi is a Japanese scholar. He is a Professor at Keio University, where he has taught literary theory and American literature since 1989.- External links :* at Keio University* at Flickr...
regards the story as a descriptive account of "the failure of the dream of space exploration", reminiscent of Ballard
Ballard
-Places:*Ballard, California*Ballard, Utah*Ballard, Seattle, Washington, a neighborhood that was once a city before being annexed by Seattle in the early 20th century*Ballard County, Kentucky*Ballard Down, an area in Dorset, England*Ballardvale, Massachusetts...
's "inner space
Inner space
Inner space may mean:* Underwater environments* Underground environments* Microscale environments or smaller* The "space" contained in the mind or the imagination-Entertainment:...
/outer space" motif. Gibson scholar Tatiani Rapatzikou commented that the motif of the space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
was used by the authors as a "symbol of the tension and uneasiness the characters or readers experience every time they deal with the artificiality of their technological world".
Plot summary
The story takes place on the Soviet space station Kosmograd ("Cosmic City"), which consists of a number of Salyuts linked together. The station has both civilian and military roles; the military portion is a base for the operation for two large particle beam weaponParticle beam weapon
A particle beam weapon uses an ultra-high-energy beam of atoms or electrons to damage a material target by hitting it, and thus disrupting its atomic and molecular structure. A particle beam weapon is a type of directed-energy weapon, which directs energy in a particular direction by a means of...
s for shooting down ICBMs. The civilian side, once a hub for space exploration, is now reduced to a maintenance role for the engineers running the station. Most of the story takes place in one of the Salyuts that has been set aside as the "Museum of the Soviet Triumph in Space". Its caretaker is cosmonaut Colonel Yuri Vasilevich Korolev, the first man on Mars.
As the story opens, the military role is no longer required now that the United States has lost superpower status and the threat of ICBMs is gone. The government decides to stop manning the station, but this would involve a loss of face as they would be abandoning their last manned space presence. At first they plan on blaming the station's shutdown on the civilian crew's black market activities, the minor trafficking in American media. When he hears of the shutdown, Korolev organizes a strike, demanding the charges be dropped. He is ignored, and the station rapidly deteriorates.
On the ground, a purge starts within the space establishment that removes most of the "old guard". The remaining administrators decide to put the station in a decaying orbit
Orbital decay
Orbital decay is the process of prolonged reduction in the altitude of a satellite's orbit.This can be due to drag produced by an atmosphere due to frequent collisions between the satellite and surrounding air molecules. The drag experienced by the object is larger in the case of increased solar...
, and blame its demise on Korolev, the strike's leader. After 20 years in space, Korolev can no longer return to Earth and will make a convenient scapegoat.
Korolev instead hatches a plan to use the remaining Soyuz
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
capsules to allow the crew to defect to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after landing in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. His attempts to interfere with the military side of the station fail and they prepare to fire on the defectors. One of the capsules returns and deliberately crashes into the weapon. The military crew is killed when their portion of the station is ripped open, and Korolev is locked in the civilian side when the doors automatically close. He is left alone in a decaying orbit.
Some time later, Korolev awakens to find one of the hatches being knocked on from the outside. Thinking he is dreaming, he comes to his senses when the hatch is opened and several Americans enter the station. Hearing it had been abandoned, they have decided to leave their squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
on a solar-power balloon and take over the station to form a new colony. The story ends with Korolev being asked to give a tour of the station for its new inhabitants.
External links
- "Red Star, Winter Orbit" at the William Gibson Aleph